Pneumatic bathing cap



Dec. 2, 1969 w. E. HANFORD ET AL 3,480,967

PNEUMATIC BATHING CAP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1967 INVENTORS: WILL/AM HA/VFU/PD W/LL/AM E. LAW

ATTORNEY Dec. 2, 1969 w HANFORD ET AL 3,480,967

PNEUMAT I C BATHI NG CAP Filed March 17, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG -5 NVENTORS. E. HANFORD WILL/AM 5 LAW ATTORNEY I WILL IA M United States Patent 3,480,967 PNEUMATIC BATHING CAP William E. Hanford, New York, N.Y., and William E.

Law, Hamden, Conn., assignors to Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Virginia Filed Mar. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 624,023 Int. Cl. A42b l/12 U.S. Cl. 2-68 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bathing cap device including an internal flexible seal and a cooperating condiut and pump communicating with the atmosphere and with the interior of the cap device for introducing and maintaining fluid under pressure in the interior of the cap.

A special feature of the invention is the provision of a bathing cap designed and constructed to eliminate seepage of water into the interior of the hat during the course of its ordinary swimming or bathing use.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a bathing cap which affects a releasable fluid tight seal or valve within the interior of the cap where the seal is comfortable, free of excessive hoop stress and is of sufficient integrity to retain air within the main body of the interior of the cap at a pressure level at least as high as the equivalent water pressure which a bather or swimmer would encounter during the course of ordinary bathing, swimming and shallow water diving.

A still further feature of the invention is the provision of a bathing cap device including a comfortable fluid tight seal within the cap in combination with pump means for introducing fluid into the interior of the cap to apply actuating pressure upon said seal.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from an examination of the succeeding specification when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention with portions thereof broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 showing the cap in position on a bathers head;

FIG. 3 is similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 and shows the flexible seal means in the operated (pressurized) condition making areal contact with a bathers head;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the exterior of the hat is fitted with ornaments in the' configuration of a rose bud where one ornament serves dually as a simple manually operated pump device.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the reference numeral refers generally to a bathing cap device including a main body or crown 11 terminating in a continuous curvilinear border 12.

Fixed to the interior of the cap and spaced from the curvilinear edge is a releasable fluid tight seal means or valve means indicated generally by the reference numeral 13. The seal 13 comprises a continuous band or ribbon of flexible material having a free edge 14 and a fixed edge 16.

The fixed edge is connected to and makes a fluid tight joint with the interior of the cap in such a way that the free edge 14 is normally spaced from the interior surface of the hat as shown in FIG. 1.

Obviously, the material from which the hat and the pliable band are fabricated is not critical and in accordance with normal practice it is anticipated that they be fabricated from flexible elastomers or synthetic plastics.

Correspondingly, it is anticipated that the joint binding edge 16 to the interior of the cap may be developed by gluing, vulcanization or other sealing method depending upon the composition of the band 15 and cap.

The cap of FIG. 1 also includes a conduit 17 which serves dually as a chin strap (see FIG. 3) and includes an inlet 18 and a discharge end 19 including a plurality of discharge openings 2121.

As is apparent in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conduit 17 is operable to transfer air under pressure from a bathers mouth into the interior of the crown of the hat effective to pressurize the space between the wearers head and the interior of the crown.

Pressurizing the interior of the cap is effective to lay the pliable band 15 snugly into areal contact with a bathers head to effect a comfortable seal over a relatively wide area.

Since the total area of the pliable band 15 is relatively large (of the order of 10-15 square inches), a relatively low pressure (of the order 2-10 p.s.i. gauge") is effective to lay the band 15 snugly into sealing contact against the wearers head. So long as the pressure within the crown behind the fluid tight seal means is of a value equal to or greater than the corresponding pressure or hydrostatic head encountered by the swimmer, the band 15 will effect an etficient seal without creating uncomfortable hoop stress.

Since the seal means is effected by the band 15 in the manner just described, the border 12 of the cap need not be drawn tightly about the swimmers head to the discomfort of the bather.

Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, the seal means or valve means thereof is of the same general construction and arrangement as the corresponding seal means 13 of FIG. 1.

This embodiment includes a plurality of ornamental pliable elements 22-22 colored and configured, in the present embodiment, to denote rosebuds. Note in FIG. 4 that element 23 functions dually as a pump means defining a squeeze bulb or bladder 24 having an inlet 26 formed with a valve seat 27, cooperating ball check 28 and ball retainer 29.

The squeeze bulb 24 is formed with a discharge end 31 communicating with the interior of the cap and includes a flexible membrane or flapper valve 32 fixed to a perforate vertical channel 33 as at 34.

In well known fashion, the squeeze bulb 24, normally in the position shown, is operable manually to pump air from the atmosphere into inlet 26- through flapper valve 32 into the interior of the cap.

In the position shown in FIG. 4, assume that the interior of the bulb 24 is filled with air. Upon manually squeezing or compressing the bulb, ball check 28 will seat to seal inlet 26 and flapper valve 32 will be blown to its dotted line position to admit air into the interior of the cap.

In well known fashion when the compressed bulb 24 is released, the flapper valve 32 will assume its solid line position sealing off the interior of the cap and ball 28 will drop to its dotted line position resting upon retainer 29 permitting the bulb 24 to take a draft of air from the atmosphere through inlet 26 in response to the vacuum created as the bulb returns to its normal extended position.

A particular advantage of the bathing cap of the present invention is that the crown portion 11 and the border 12 of the hat may be loose fitting and thus comfortable to the bather.

Since the seal means 13 makes areal contact over a relatively wide area under relatively low unit pressure, a very efficient fluid tight seal is maintained with virtually no discomfort to the bather.

It is anticipated that a wide variety of modifications,

3 4 both ornamental and structural, may be devised in the pump air from the atmosphere into the space bepresent invention without departing from the spirit and tween the head of the wearer and said interior surscope. face of said crown.

What is claimed is: 1. A pneumatic bathing cap having in combination: 5 1 References Clted (1) a crown with an interior and an exterior surface UNITED STATES PATENTS and a border; (2) a flexible planar band of substantial width having 1 2 3 2 6 a first edge in sealing engagement with said interior 3394406 7/1968 Bergens surface and a free second edge, said band being 10 34034O6 10/1968 Weissberg spaced apart from said border and depending in- 1221473 4/1917 Riley Wardly from Said crown engage the wearers 2:072:843 3/1937 Naund or?: 2-68 head; 2,074,208 3/1937 Brighten 2 6s (3) multiple ornaments fixedly mounted directly on F 2 204 95 19 Johnson the exterior surface of said crown; 2,392,576 1/1946 c 11 (4) squeeze bulb pump means concealed in one of 3,113,319 12/1963 Vail 2 68 said multiple ornaments, said pump means including first valve means between said pump means and the FOREIGN ENTS atmosphere and second valve means between said 20 1,019,251 2/1966 Great Britain. pump means and the interior of said crown, said pump means and valve means being operative to HAMPTON HUNTER: Pnmary Examlner 

